Annual: The difference between a gradate’s earnings and cost of their education, calculator to show a yearly rate of return. For example, a school with $ million in earnings for a graduate and $200,000 in costs would equal a 5.51 percent annual return on investment.

30-year: The 30-year median earnings for a 2012 graduate, minus the cost of their education.

Sources: Payscale.com, National Center for Educational Statistics, Collegedata.com and College-insight.org